Padres hope to continue success vs. sub-500 teams

Diamondbacks home run (and strikeout) leader Mark Reynolds will not be in the lineup tonight against the Padres. He's trying to shake the effects of a beaning earlier this week.
— Sean M. Haffey / Union-Tribune

Diamondbacks home run (and strikeout) leader Mark Reynolds will not be in the lineup tonight against the Padres. He's trying to shake the effects of a beaning earlier this week.
— Sean M. Haffey / Union-Tribune

Starting tonight in Phoenix, 18 of the Padres' remaining 24 games in August are against teams with losing records. Over the rest of the season, the Padres play 23 games against teams currently sporting losing records.

Nine of those games will be against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who host the Padres for three games this weekend while the Giants are in Atlanta.

The Padres also won't have to face Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds today (6:40 p.m.; TV 4 San Diego). Reynolds was beaned Tuesday night and felt the effects Wednesday while trying to play. Reynolds is fourth in the National League with 25 homers, but has struck out a league-leading 152 times.

All-Star outfielder Chris Young is also missing from the Diamondbacks lineup while the Padres will open with the same batting order that produced a 5-0 win at Dodger Stadium Thursday night.

Arizona's hitters passed the 1,000-strikeout milestone Thursday night and are swinging-and-missing on a pace to break the major league's all-time single season record of 1,341.

The Padres are 7-2 against the Diamondbacks this season, although they lost two of the three games played the first week of the season at Chase Field in Phoenix.